Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

 HANDBOOK

ST. TIMOTHY CATHOLIC CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

Humble Service

‘Genuine ministry is about humble service.  The model of all ministry is Christ the Lord who came to serve, not to be served.  His command to “love one another” (cf. John 13:43) was modeled throughout his life and ministry.  The special minister must put aside personal agendas and needs, prejudices and judgments in order to serve the community and give faithful testimony to Christ’s presence in the eucharist.’ (Guidelines for Special Ministers of the Eucharist – Diocese of St. Petersburg)

Ongoing Formation

‘Opportunities for reflecting on the Eucharist in their lives and this ministry should take place at least once-a-year or perhaps seasonally ( Advent and/or Lent or Evening of Reflection). (Guidelines for Special Ministers of the Eucharist – Diocese of St. Petersburg)

Length of Service

The length of service for all Liturgical Ministers is one year.  This service can be renewed annually through planned annual training, signing of commissioning statement committing to the next year of service and a re-commissioning to be held at a Sunday Mass.

Each minister should be involved in only one Liturgical Ministry at a time.  This limiting of ministries gives the opportunity for those who wish to participate in the ministry.

Appropriate Attire

A neat and reverential appearance is in keeping with the minister’s role and belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  The ministers’ attire should not detract from their role.  (Guidelines for Special Ministers of the Eucharist – Diocese of St. Petersburg)

• Men should wear a jacket and tie or at least a shirt and tie.

• Women should wear an appropriate dress of acceptable length or slack suit.  Please no sundress.

• All should following good grooming habits especially regarding hands and nails.

• You should not serve if you have a cold so as not to transmit germs to those to whom you minister. 

SCHEDULES AND PROCEDURES

Schedules

The Eucharistic Minister schedules will be developed for a two or three month period and will be distributed via email; those individuals who do not use email and/or do not respond that they have received the schedule when distributed, may pick their schedules up in the sacristy by the middle of the previous month or get it from the Saint Timothy website.  The schedules are developed using the information each minister has provided relative to Mass preference(s) and family members who are active in other Liturgical Ministries.

Schedules are posted on the St. Timothy website http://www.sainttims.org, Follow the link under the  Liturgical Ministries.

Substitutes

It is your responsibility to know when you are scheduled and to find a substitute if you are unable to serve at your assigned Mass.  The schedule provided also contains a current list of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion that can be used to locate an appropriate substitute.

Holy Days

A sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board in the sacristy for Holy Days.    Please sign up early for these Masses (especially Christmas and Easter) to avoid countless phone calls needed to secure the appropriate number of ministers.

Sign-in Procedures

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should arrive 20 minutes before Mass.  At 10 minutes before Mass begins, replacements will be assigned.  Once a replacement has been assigned for your service, you lose the opportunity to serve at that Mass.

When you arrive in the sacristy, sign your name in the Liturgical Minister binder, associated with a particular EMHC station.  If you are substituting for someone put your name in the Liturgical Minister binder with the person for whom you are substituting in parenthesis beside your name.  If you have not signed in by 10 minutes before the beginning of Mass, a replacement will be identified to sign-in and take your place.

Take a medallion to wear; although this is not a requirement, it is preferable.

Go to the narthex to greet people as they arrive for Mass.  This is a welcoming gesture and would be very appropriate. If you stay in the Sacristy, please be reverent and quiet, as the priest prepares for Mass in the next room.

Be back in the sacristy by 5 minutes before Mass is to begin so that all the ministers can pray together with the presider.

EMHCs should sit at various positions throughout the church to show that they are one with the rest of the assembly.  It is preferable to sit at or near the end of a row so that you can easily come to the altar following the Sign of Peace.

ROLES, RESPONSIBLILITIES AND DISTRIBUTION

Additional Responsibilities Defined

The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion schedule lists the EMHCs assigned by Mass by week.  Four of the EMs listed have a notation indicating an additional responsibility for that Mass.  The notations and their descriptions are as follows:

(S) indicates Set-up.    Two EMHCs will be assigned Set-up; they are responsible to insure that all chalices, ciboria, and purificators are on the credence table prior to Mass.  They need to insure that the lavabo bowl, pitcher with water, finger towel, and ablution cup are on the credence table behind the Presider chair; an ablution cup and purificator also goes on the Credence table behind the wall at the choir area.  They are also responsible to prepare the large Ciborium with bread and the flagon of wine for the Presentation of the Gifts.  (The detail regarding the amounts of bread and wine for each particular Mass is posted in the sacristy.)   Both the large Ciborium of bread and the flagon of wine are taken to the Offertory table in the main aisle in front of the baptismal font.

 (C ) indicates Clean-up.   Two EMHCs will be assigned Clean-up for each Mass.  These EMs are responsible for taking the vessels from the credence table following Mass and taking them to the sacristy where they will purify the vessels.  (See last section on Purification of the Sacred Vessels later in the handbook.)

Other specific responsibilities are assigned based on sign-up in the Liturgical Minister binder in the sacristy prior to the Mass that you will be serving.  Those responsibilities are identified as follows:

1.) The EMHC identified on the sign-in sheet as Station A Cup, first cup only) , has the following tasks:

The EMHC will go to meet the gifts when the priest goes. The EMHC will place the flagon on the altar and may be given the large ciboria to place there as well.

The EMHC will be responsible to pour the Precious Blood from the flagon into the chalices on the altar at the time when the priest is breaking and distributing the Bread into the ciboria.  It is best to know how much Wine should go into each cup so that you can accurately fill each cup the first time and not have to pour a second time into any of the cups

The EMHC will assist in distributing the chalices to the Ministers of the Cup.  This EMHC will be a Minister of the Cup in Section A.

The EMHC will be responsible for assisting the priest in consolidating the remaining Bread into a ciborium following distribution of Holy Communion; they will then take this ciborium to the Reservation Chapel and placing in the tabernacle. NOTE:  This duty will be the responsibility of the Deacon if one is present at Mass.

2.) The position that you sign up for in the Liturgical Minister binder will dictate whether you will minister the cup or the bread.

EMHC Positions during Communion

In order to maintain the reverence of the Eucharist, it is important to have a smooth flow from the point of the EMHC receiving communion to movement into their positions for distribution of communion.   For that reason, the attached diagram(s) have been developed to show where each EMHC will stand and how they should flow from the base of the sanctuary to the appropriate position.  The smoother each EMHC makes this transition, the more reverence can be displayed.

Ministering the Bread – “The Body of Christ”

In giving communion, the minister holds a host or piece of Eucharistic bread slightly above the vessel, looks at the communicant and says in a clear voice, “The Body of Christ”.  The communicant responds, “Amen”, and the minister then gives communion respecting the option of the communicant to receive either in the palm of the hand or on the tongue.

(Guidelines for Special Ministers of the Eucharist – Diocese of St. Petersburg)

When all of the EMHCs for a particular section (A, B, C, or D) have their elements in hand, you will proceed to your positions for distribution of Holy Communion.

• For the distribution of the Sacred Body, the EMHC should look at the communicant and say, “The Body of Christ”.  It is improper to include the name of the communicant.  You are not to alter the words.  Place the bread reverently in the person’s hands or on the tongue of the communicant.  Please make sure they consume the Precious Body. 

Children – At times you may question whether a child is old enough to receive communion.  If he/she seems to know what to do, minister the consecrated bread.  If in doubt, look for an older person with the child and ask or ask the child.

People with Disabilities – Be aware of people with disabilities who come to receive communion.  The only rule is: Whatever seems most practical, convenient, and respectful of the person.

If there is a handicapped person or someone who obviously can not come to you, you should go to and serve that person AFTER you serve the rest of your station.

• If you start to run out of hosts and there are still several communicants in your line waiting to receive the Precious Body, start breaking the hosts in half and continue distributing the Eucharist.  If you run out of hosts entirely, ask the next communicant to wait a minute and then go to another communion station and carefully transfer some of the Precious Body to your ciborium.  Since we will be using only the hosts consecrated at the particular Mass for consumption at that Mass, there may be times when it will be necessary to break the hosts so that there is a sufficient amount for distribution; this is perfectly acceptable since even a minute piece of the host still contains the Precious Body of Christ.
• The usher, who is usually the last in line to receive communion, may ask you to go to the back of the church to serve a disabled person.  Administer the Precious Body and then return to the credence table behind the choir area and return your ciborium; at this point the Deacon or the Section A Cup or Cup1 EMHC can finish consolidating the Precious Body to be taken to the tabernacle.
• If the Sacred Body is dropped on the floor, you can:
• Stop, pick it up and place it in your hand under the bowl.
• When distribution of communion is complete and the minister returns the bowl to the credence table, either consume the Bread at that time or place it in the bowl of water to be dissolved.  Following Mass, when clean-up is done, make sure that the bowl of water with the dissolved Bread is poured down the sacrarium.
• Be sure to purify the floor where the Bread fell after Mass.
• If you finish serving at your position/station, go to the secondary station as defined on the EMHC Positions Map. 
• When finished serving the Precious Body, return the bowl to the credence table and rinse your fingers in the ablution cup so that no particles of the Bread remain on your hands.

 Return to your place in the assembly.

• The EMHC who is responsible for pouring the Precious Blood during the fraction rite, or the Deacon, will consolidate the remaining Bread into one Ciborium and take it to the tabernacle.

Ministering the Cup – “The Blood of Christ”

When all of the EMHCs for a particular section (A, B, C, or D) have their elements in hand, you will proceed to your section for distribution of Holy Communion.  Do not go to your station until all of those in your group have elements in hand.

• In administering the cup, the minister holds the cup up slightly and says in a clear voice while looking at the communicant, “The Blood of Christ”.  The communicant responds, “Amen”.  The minister then gives the cup to the communicant who takes it entirely into his/her hands, drinks from it and returns it to the minister.  Then the minister wipes the rim of the cup with the purificator, gives the cup a quarter turn, and offers it to the next communicant. (Guidelines for Special Ministers of the Eucharist – Diocese of St. Petersburg)

(Guidelines for Special Ministers of the Eucharist – Diocese of St. Petersburg)

The practice of intinction (dipping the bread in the cup )is to be discouraged.  This practice of self-communication goes against Jesus’ command to “take and drink” and depersonalizes the sacrament.  Sacraments always involve people interacting with other people. (Guidelines for Special Ministers of the Eucharist – Diocese of St. Petersburg).  When a communicant attempts to dip the bread into your cup, place your hand over the cup and tell them that ‘intinction is not practiced here’.

Children – At times you may question whether a child is old enough to receive communion.  If he/she seems to know what to do, minister the consecrated wine.  If in doubt, look for an older person with the child and ask or ask the child.

People with Disabilities – Be aware of people with disabilities who come to receive communion.  The only rule is: Whatever seems most practical, convenient, and respectful of the person.

• If the Sacred Blood drips on the floor:
• Stop serving and place a purificator over the spill,
• Get another purificator from the secondary credence table, and
• Resume your position, standing over the purificator covering the spill.
• After Mass, purify the floor where the Sacred Blood spilled.
• If you finish serving at your position/station, go to the secondary station as defined on the EMHC Positions Map. 
• Once the Precious Blood has been consumed, return the Cup to the credence table.  DO NOT POUR PRECIOUS BLOOD FROM ANOTHER CUP INTO YOUR CUP.  Place the purificator on the table; do not put the purificator in the cup.
• When you have finished serving, take your Cup to the secondary credence table and consume any of the Precious Blood that is remaining.  Place the purificator on the table; do not put the purificator in the cup.
• Return to your place in the assembly.

PURIFICATION OF THE SACRED VESSELS

Please maintain a reverent, prayerful demeanor while you transport the vessels to the sacristy and while purifying the vessels.  Although it occurs after the dismissal, the Purification Rite is still part of the liturgy.  Moreover, the vessels contain the Body and Blood of Christ and should therefore be handled with reverence.

• Please DO NOT submerge the vessels in water.  Water will seep into the bottom of the vessels and they will become corroded. 
• Consume all visible particles of the Eucharistic bread.
• Consume all visible Precious Blood.
• Rinse the ciboria, chalices and flagon in the sacrarium (the sink on the left with the lid).   Take the flagon apart so that all the Precious Blood is rinsed down the Sacrarium.
• Wash the chalices and ciboria, without submerging them, using soapy water in the sink on the right.  Make sure that you remove all traces of lipstick from them.  Dry them thoroughly and place them back on the shelf.  Do not rinse the soapy suds in the Sacrarium.
• Place the purificators into the basket to the right of the sink area; the sacristans will purify and clean the items left in the basket